Bottle crate



Sept. 18, 1.928.

E. TRAUTMAN BOTTLE CRATE Filed May 9, 1927 dled and stored in stacks.

Patented Sept. 1928 unit so stares nnnns'r TRAUTMAN, 01 LAKEWOOD, o'ri'ro, nssioivon ro" rnia'3nirrimt1c BOX PANY, or CLEVELAND; OHIO, noonronn'rion or OHIO.

, 1,684,898: Pei-2r. or ricesotrrrn CRATE.

Application filed May 9, 1927. Serial No. 189,850.

This invention relates to containers, par-' ticularly those which are used for holding milk bottles and which are provided with means for enabling the containers to be han- Containers of this type usually have longitudinally and transversely extending bars which make compartments, and which also function as reinforcing means to hold the container in shape. Uusually such containers are open at the top and bottom and when handled are subjected to considerable abuse.

One form of container construction in use at present has some of the longitudinally extending bars arranged to provide a bottom rest for the bottles. Accordingly, such bars are necessarily near the bottom of the container and are riveted to the end walls on a line parallel to the bottom edge. The end walls are therefore pierced at close intervals, and being considerably weakened will break, if not handled carefully. A container thus damaged is generally considered worthless.

The principal object of the present inven tion is to make a container which is so' reinforced that the end walls will not break off, even though the walls are pierced by rods on a line parallel to and near the bottom. In this connection my invention contemplates the provision of a reinforcing member which may be readily made from sheet metal, and which will have the necessary strength for the purposes desired.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bottle container made in accordance with my invention; Figs. 2 and3 are sections taken through the container on planes indicated by the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a corner reinforcing member which is made in accordance with my invention.

The container illustrated has wooden side walls 10, and end walls 11, which are fastened together by nails in the usual way. The container is divided into compartments by-longitudinally extending rods 12 and transversely extending rods 13, the ends of which pass through the end and side walls respectively, and are riveted over to insure a rigid connection. Near the bottom of the con tainer I have shown rods 15, all of which lie in the same horizontal plane and are riveted V container.

at the corners and at the same time to prevent breakage of the end walls, I provide a rein-- forcing member 20 which extends from the COM- top to the bottom of the container and adjaas illustrated in F ig.4. At the base portion of each member the sides turn outwardly and upwardly to form U-shaped portions 27 and 28 which grip the side and end walls of the The top portion of each member is offset inwardly to make an extension 25 which-normally projects above the plane of the top of the container and functions to facilitate stacking of the containers in the usual way.

Each reinforcing member is adapted to be fastened at spaced intervals to the side and. 7

end walls in any suitable way, such as by rivets 26. Each. lowermost rivet extends through the end walls above thehorizontal plane, passing through the bottom rest bars 15. Thus the end walls are attached to the reinforcing members above the normal frac" ture line, and are therefore held securely in place even though the wood should split on a line passing through the plane of the bottom rest bars.

. I claim 1. The combination with a rectangular container open at the top and bottom end, of a reinforcing member within each corner of the container, each member comprising a metallic angular strip having a plurality of U-shaped portions at the bottom thereof, each portion engaging the bottom and outer surface of one of the container walls, and means for fastening the member to the container.

2. The combination with a four-sided container open at the top and bottom, of a plurality of bottom rest bars extending through two of the walls of the container and near the bottom thereof, an angular metallic reinforcing strip within the container and extending from the top to. the bottom of the container'and adjacent each corner thereof, said strip having portions thereof bent outwardly and upwardly to engage opposite sides of the associated walls, the outer wall engaging portion terminating short of top of the container, and means extending through the outer and inner portions and through the walls for fastening the members to the container.

3. A bottle crate corner reinforcing constructlon for a rectangular crate, comprising a single piece substantially rectangular U-shape, for embracing the bottom edge of sheet metal member longitudinally bent at the crate adjacent the corner, and means passright angles to fit the inner corner of the ing through the legs of each U and the crate crate, said member being inwardly offset at material for holding the member in place thetop to provide a guide for a suPerimposed on the crate. y I

crate, the bottom end of the said member In testimony whereof, I hereunto afllx my being slit along the right angular bendand signature. having the two strips so formed bent into a ERNEST TRAUTMAN. 

